My Unedited Business with  Unconditionally Nourished

Hi Jemma! Please can you introduce your business to us…

I’m a certified wellbeing coach and blogger at Unconditionally Nourished and I also host seasonal retreats with Escape & Create.

I’m really passionate about empowering busy women to create more space for themselves, supercharge their wellbeing and a life they love.  Women’s wellness really lights me up and guiding women to get to where they want to be through intentional living, self care, mindset work and mindfulness in realistic and achievable ways is a  joy.

What inspired you to start your business?

Starting my business was a natural progression even though this path is rather unexpected.  I started my blog in 2010 while studying for my Phd in neurobiology. It was born out of wanting a new hobby and a creative outlet. I’ve always loved writing and as a creative person it felt like the perfect answer to what I was searching for and the more I got involved in the blogging world the more I loved it.

As time went on, I started to make money from my blog, which was amazing, especially coming up to the end of my PhD when I was unsure what I wanted to do.  I took on a couple of jobs in retail and then medical communications, before making the scary jump into full time blogging. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but at this point I was making a sustainable income through branded work and I was pregnant with my first baby, which was a massive trigger in getting me to rethink everything and the direction I wanted to go in.

Of course, as we evolve so do our interests and how we want to run our businesses.  I think it would be unnatural for us not to change over the years. I’m always conscious of my business being aligned with where I’m at personally.  It sounds like a cliche, but I had a calling that I wanted to do more beyond my blog and help women on a deeper level. Coaching felt like a natural step for me. I had a massive desire to connect with women and guide them to become the best version of themselves, feel better and be happier. 

Where and how do you work best?

We bought our first home a few years ago and one of the criteria when we were looking was that it had to have an office.  I’m such a homebody and love being at home. I enjoy having a little space to call my own and decorating my office and filling it with little nik-naks and things that are special to me has made it my happy place.   It’s a place where I feel inspired and creative. I put my fairy lights on, burn candles, put on a podcast or playlist, drink tea from my favourite mug and thrive being surrounded by my things.

As a mum of two, it’s very rare that I get my own personal space. My children aren’t allowed in my office, which may sound cruel, but it’s my sacred place that I call my own. 

What value do you hope to bring to your clients and customers? How do you hope your work makes them feel?

I hope my work and what I put out there makes people feel happy, positive and inspired to take that step to transform their lives, even if it’s just through a small change.  I would like to think that they find my work encouraging as I’m such a cheerleader for women’s wellness and helping them to take care of themselves so that they can feel their best.  I want to help women feel fabulous in whichever way that manifests for them. I really hope that comes across. If it doesn’t then I’m not doing my job properly, which would be highly disappointing for me. 

How do you hope to be Unedited in your business? How do you seek to be authentic and true in your work?

Over the past few years, life has taught me the realness of it being short.  Showing up as yourself is so important, not just in your personal life, but in your business too.  

It can be scary peeling away those barriers that we sometimes put up because that’s the way we think we should be in order to be successful. However, there is a powerful connection in vulnerability, honesty and truth. Actually, some of my more personal blog and social posts that I’ve been nervous about posting have been my most popular. I guess people find them more relatable and can see part of their own story in mine.

I’m all for being myself. I do my Instagram stories without any makeup most of the time because that is my real life.  I haven’t always had the confidence to do this, but I guess that comes with experience and the more you show up as yourself the easier it becomes. It’s definitely a learning curve, but so liberating.

Life’s too short to pretend to be something that you’re not.  Plus, how can you expect to connect with people on the same wavelength as you if you’re not owning your truth?

Being authentic is definitely an essential key to personal and professional happiness.

What’s been the biggest high of your business journey so far?

Actually beginning.  Finding the courage to take that leap and leaning into what really lights me up has been the biggest game changer.  It’s tough working for yourself, let’s not lie, but doing something that I love to help support my family is a dream and I feel incredibly lucky every day. 

What was your greatest fear when you started your business?

Failure!  It’s such a scary process setting up by yourself and honestly it has stopped me launching so many things even after the initial set up of my business. Those self-limiting beliefs can instantly put the lid back on your ideas and stop you moving forward if you give them power over you.

I’ve launched various things that have failed or haven’t gone down as well as I’d hoped.  It’s tough at the time, but once you get over the disappointment, failure can be a fantastic lesson in how to move your business forward. You can learn so much failing, especially what works for your business and what your client base actually wants.  I’m trying to lean into this mindset a lot more when failure rears its ugly head to help shine a more positive light on it. 

How do you overcome self doubt as a small business owner?

Oh, it’s tough and it will always be there, but we don’t have to let these self-limiting beliefs have power over us.

Of course, I’m not the only wellbeing coach out there and there’s probably lots of similarities between what I’m putting out there and others. It’s always in the back of my mind when I’m launching something new or taking on new clients – what can I offer that’s of value compared to what’s already out there?  However, what makes us all unique is are personal stories.  When the doubt creeps in I remind myself that no one is me. No one has lived my life or experienced what I have. I can give a totally different perspective and approach because of my own journey. 

Additionally, kind words from clients about my work is lovely and  gives me a massive boost. I always make sure that I leave encouraging notes on people’s social media posts because as a small business owner myself I know how valuable this can be to building self-worth and confidence. 

Jemma is a big advocate for finding a routine that works for you when it comes to self care.

How do you make sure to have time for yourself as a business owner?

Ahhh…the juggle is real!  It’s tough. I’m certainly not perfect and I have two little ones as well, which can make it even more difficult.  Definitely taking pleasure in the small things is a big deal for me and before I had my second baby, admittedly they probably went unnoticed before or had less significance. 

I really appreciate a hot shower like never before, it helps to anchor my day.  A hot cup of tea is always appreciated, listening to podcasts, not checking my phone before breakfast,  connecting with nature (I can do that with the kids!), burning candles and actually having time to put on a nice outfit and makeup makes me feel good. If I’m not with the kids, I’m working in my home office so getting dressed up is a rarity these days. 

Focusing on the little things is more achievable for me and realistic in my life currently.  I don’t have time to meditate at sunrise for 3 hours, but if you do and that works for you, amazing! Sadly, that wouldn’t work for me right now and would cause too much stress trying to keep it up.  Being honest with how much time you actually have is a massive game changer with identifying what works for you and making it happen. 

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to a new Unedited business owner what would it be?

Be yourself and own your truth.   

As mentioned previously, life is far too short to be something that you’re not.  Your clients and customers will connect with your story, share it, be honest and own it.  You definitely won’t regret it!

You can find Jemma at @UnconditionallyNourished or over at unconditionallynourished.com. She’s currently taking bookings for one-to-one coaching sessions so do head to her site to find out more!

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